Clutch mechanism.



P. E. SUTHERLAND & J. A. BROWN.

CLUTCH MEGHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov. 9, 1909.

Patented Mam, 1911.

rif/ll -UNITE-D STATES PATENT @FE1-'GE FRED n. sUTHnnLAND Janse. nnown, or Los'ANGEL-ns,cnnrotitrlngssreni connonn'non or ',cnnrronnm.

Bs 'ro THE mnthnrownn Heimann. courant?, 'or Los linennnselnrnonnrj'nfgn `enormer nncmnisn.

Specicatlon of Letters latent; Patented Original application led Kay 27, 1909, Serial Nolsj.1

i909., serial No. 527,o'se

To all who-mit may comern; l i Be it known that we, FRED E.- Su'rnnn- LAND and JAMES A. BROWN, citizens of the' United, States of America, residing at Los Angeles, in thecount'y of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a certain new and"useful Clutch Mechanism; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the inven' tion, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use Vthe same.

This ap lication is a division of our application .serial Xo.' 498,765, filed May 27, 1909.

The invention relates t clutch mechanism, and consistsin certain novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Objects of the invention are to provide a clutch mechanism which shall be simple and economical to construct, sensitive in con.-

trol, durable :1nd efficient. in use, and 1n which oil is eliectjvely distributed to the frictional surfaces.

Other objects and the advantages of the` invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the folthe clutch; Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations ot theclutch disks; Fig. 6 is an elevation, with parts in section, of the clutch shifter.

Referring to the drawings, on main shaft Q may be rigidly` mounted the driven member 3 of the clutch, haring a hub 4 and a flange 5 atl the periphery of which are a plurality of pieces 6 connecting the flange 5 with an annular conduit or trough T. designed to catch and return the oil to the working faces of the clutch. Each face of the flange 5 is provided with a plurality of oil grooves 8. with openings near to the periphery of the flange.

The driving member of the clutch may comprise a casing 9 loosel)v mounted on shaft 2. The outer portion of casing 9 pref- I erably constitutes-,the

10 of the machine, and has'thergin-a ,fecer1 .t (1151.- 12 of aber or.otlxer-suieip1nmngngr' -v is placed on shaft 2 next to, face Hand-11,421@

to saidr disk is placed the'.drivennrexnber A second disk 13 similar to. disk 12.. except.` that vthe hole in its center Ais ofga sizeto-.tit over h ub 4,' is placed lagainst;,the ,face :O flange 5 on the side.. next- 'to hubaig disks 12and 13 are provided withsuhrstanf; tiallv radial slitsor ,passages 14 apart, of(

. which preferablyl extend. part-:wag'towriqd the circumference from' the centra opent-ng; in the disks and the,renlaintlengiijwlrichgaue intermediate of these! and :eitendx from, t ,lre circlnnference vtoward tlie ficentral, Open ing-t Asfshown, the-.outer ends'ioi tlieslitsggol passages 11 extending toward, stile-.-` circuitiference are beyond tl1e.innen.-entl sothose extending from the circu1nference. L

The grooves S in the facesfoifiange their openings Vnear ,the..periph ery offmthe,E flange and 'may preferablgfbe.,.of=the Ifiorinshown in Fig. 3, thatis to5,sey,. the,grooves` lead from' and return .l toftlie;peripher5' :o the flange. Oil inthe trough ,'fgghen-l'elative. movement. takes places-between the frictional-'surfaces of the clutclngnmyL pass to said surfaces by wai'v of t-heigrooveshS and passages 14 and surplus 'oilfmayretnrn rt9 the trough by wav of 'the passages-"and grooves. As will be u'nler-stocrd"I thejpas sages 1l aid inthe uniform.distributionofi the oil over the surfaces. z j.

From the foregoing description airdnby` viewing Fig. 1 it will be apparent `that when the clutch mechanism is disengaged.oi-l may.. readily find its wa \x from conduitv pEto theI faces of the disks 12. and 13 andthe rubbing surfaces of the other parts.' Amplelubrication is thus 'insured The ,slits o r pas'- sages 11 which extend inwardly from 'the circumference of the disks a'l,so ..prevent any buckling o'f the disks. y

:1 plate 15 ma) fit closely in theopen end of casing 9 and have a face 10,0 i )osite` disk serve to normally nuts 22 and lock nuts 23. --lever 21 remote illustrated and described, it is obvious that f connected to one end of tog 10 edly .mounted on pedal shaft 34,to which may keep the frictional surfaces disengaged. -Near' the periphery of the plate 15 may be an annular rim 20 with which may contact the ends of levers 21 loosely mounted on studs 18. The ends of studs 18 projecting beyond levers 21 receive The end of each fromstuds 18 is jointedly gle links 24:, the other end of said toggle hnks being jointconnected to a collar 25 slidable on shaft 2. W'hen collar l.25 is moved toward plate 15, the plate 15- is pressed into casing 9 and thefaces 11 and 16 moved toward each other, pressing the disks 12 and 13 against the'faoes of flange 5, thus engaging theclutch.

On collar 25 is freely mounted ,a yoke 26 having trunnions 27 pivotally engaged by a `shifter 28. One e'ndof shifter 28 is held stationaryby a pivot 29 aixed to bai* 30, attached ,to the stationary part 31. The movable end of shifter 28 may be attached to a rod 32 connected to pedal lever 33 be attached apedal 35. A

'Rod 32 is'slidably mounted at its forward end in a stationary part 36, and has a spring 37 which, reacting between the frame and a collar on the rod, normally presses the latter to a position to disengage the clutch.

While one form of apparatus in which the invention may be embodied has been various modifications and changes may be made, and the right is reserved' to all such modifications and changes as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

- We claim: i

1. In a clutch, the combination of a drivingmember with al drivenfmember, including a fiange having oil grooves therein, said oil grooves having openings near the peripher)v of the flange. a disk between the working Vfaces of said driving and driven members, said disk provided with substantially radial passages, and an annular oil condltit carried on one of said members.

2. In a clutch, the combination of a driving member, with a driven member, includ- 1 ing a flange having oil grooves therein, said ing and driven members. an

the periphery grooves leading from and returning to the periphery of said ange, a disk interposed i between the working faces of said driving 1 and driven members. said disk provided s with substantially radial passages, and an annular oil conduit carried on one of said members.

3. In a clnteh.'the combination of a driving member, with a driven member, includ l ing a fiange having oil grooves therein, said l oil grooveshaving openings near the perlphery of the flange, a trough around said' flange and connected thereto, and a disk interposed between the. working faces of said driving and driven members, said disk provided with substantially radial passages.

4. In a clutch, .the combination of a driving member comprising a casing having a friction face therein and an oil shedding groove contiguous to said face, a ed to fit within said casing a'nd rovided with a friction face and an oil she din oove, and a driven member having a con uit near the periphery,one of said members having plil carrying grooves opening nearsaid cou uit.

5. In a clutch, the combination'of drivoil trough carand a disk inried on one of said members,

of sald terposed between the working faces members, said disk provided with oil passages opening adjacent to said trough.

6. In a clutch, the combination of drivingand'driven members, one of said members having oil grooves opening in the eriphery thereof, an oil trough mounted a jacent to of one of said members, and a diskV interposed between the working faces of said members, said disk provided with oil passages opening adjacent to said trough.

7. In a clutch, in and driven members, an oil trough arranged at the periphery of the' members adjacent to the working faces thereof, and means for onnecting the trough to one of the mem.-

ers.

S. In a clutch, in combination, driving and -driven members. an oil trough arranged at the periphery ofthe members adjacent to the working faces thereof, one of said members having oil grooves opening adjacent to the trough, and means for connecting said trough to one of the members.

9. In a clutch. a disk of suitable material provided with substantially radial slits, a part of said slits extending from the center art way toward the circumference of the disk and the other of the slits being intermediate of the first and extending from the circumference of the disk part way toward its center, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, count-y of Los Angeles, State of California, this 2d day of November, A. D. 1909.

FRED E. SUTHERLAND. JAMES A. BROWN. Witnesses:

Aanv Comun, Gao. H. DOWNS.

combination, driving` 

